


Be My Baby

by Hippomatrix



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Dirty Dancing AU, Hunk isn't in this I'm so sorry, M/M, heteronormativity is for the weak, klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-11-08 20:18:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11089158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hippomatrix/pseuds/Hippomatrix
Summary: Blue (Lance) was disappointed when his summer plans deposited him at a sleepy resort with his parents and younger sister. His luck turned around, however, when the resort's dance instructor, Keith Kogane, begrudgingly enlisted Blue as his new partner, and the two fell in love. Blue's father forbade him from seeing Keith, but he was determined to help Keith perform the last big dance of the summer.





	Be My Baby

**Author's Note:**

> Huge shoutout to @bipilots on tumblr for helping me out by supplying some amazing ideas.  
> http://klance.ml/post/161402691834/okay-but-consider-this-dirty-dancing-klance-au
> 
> I combined Robbie and Neal into one asshole played by Lotor and fudged some of the plotline to make it work w the characters. I hope y'all like it bc I spent a lot of time on it.

Lance pressed his hand to the glass and watched through the window as the world rushed by then slowed as the car came to a stop. He looked at his dad, who nodded, and opened the door, stepping out into the glorious sunlight. Lance took a deep breath of the fresh air as the summer breeze ruffled through his hair. The summer of 1963 was going to be a good one, he could tell.

He heard a knocking noise and looked over to the car where his sister Sofia was tapping at the glass. Sighing, Lance opened the door for her and stood aside as she stepped out. "You could've done that yourself, you know."

Lance's father gave him a look as he stepped out of the car. "Don't talk down to your sister."

Lance frowned but didn't argue, turning to the trunk where a staff member had already started unloading their luggage. Lance pulled a few of the bags out and set them on the curb.

The staff member smiled at him. "Thanks, man." He held out his hand and Lance took it. "Name's Shiro."

"People call me Blue," Lance replied. He couldn't remember where the nickname had originated from but at this point it was practically his name. Hardly anyone ever called him Lance.

Shiro smiled. "You want a job here?" he asked jokingly.

A stern voice cut into their conversation. "Blue."

Lance looked over to his father and smiled apologetically at Shiro. "Sorry, gotta go." He walked over to his father and saw that a tall, broad shouldered man in a purple suit had joined them. "Are you... Zarkon?" Lance asked, unsure if he was remembering the name correctly.

The man nodded and stuck out his hand. "Indeed. And you are Blue, I presume? Your father's told me so much about you."

"All good things, I hope," Lance joked.

Zarkon smiled thinly, clearly not amused by Lance's attempt at humor, and turned back to Lance's father. "There's a merengue class in the gazebo in the next few minutes. We have the greatest teacher."

* * *

Lance cursed under his breath as he ran into the person next to him yet again. "Sorry," he muttered. He looked up at the teacher and tried to replicate what she was doing but it just wasn't working. Allura's dancing skills were far superior to his own. He hadn't expected to be a pro immediately, but he'd been hoping to at least do adequately. It was embarrassing how poorly coordinated he was right now.

Allura's voice rang out over the music. "Okay now, ladies, when I say 'stop'... you're gonna find the man of your dreams!"

Lance rolled his eyes but kept moving around. Maybe he'd at least get to dance with a pretty girl.

"Stop!" Allura cried loudly, and Lance found himself dancing with a very short girl. She was probably his age but looked like she couldn't have been older than 12.

The girl glared at him when she saw his disappointment. "Look, I don't want to be here either."

Lance laughed and looked around at all the couples trying to dance with straight backs and rigid form. "It's so pretentious, isn't it?"

The girl nodded, adjusting her arms so she was the lead. His father would never approve of such a thing but Lance didn't bother arguing with her. It was probably better this way anyways. He sure as hell didn't know how to lead, but she seemed to have a pretty good grasp on it.

"My name's Katie," the girl said. "But my friends call me Pidge."

"Like a pigeon?" Lance chuckled when she frowned at his teasing. "People call me Blue."

Pidge stepped on his foot on purpose and grinned when he huffed in offense. "Nice to meet you."

* * *

Lance stepped off to the side and glanced up at the big building. It looked peaceful and quiet in the fading light of day. "Mom, Dad, I'm going up to the main house to look around."

Lance's parents nodded without question and he walked down the pathway and up the stairs to the main house, glad to be in the open air rather than the stuffy gazebo. As he climbed up the steps Lance looked back and realized he could see Pidge dancing with Sofia from up here, her dress looking like a green splotch amid the whites and blacks most people around her wore.

 _She probably isn't stepping on **Sofia's** feet on purpose_ , Lance thought snidely. Just his. He wasn't sure what Pidge's deal was, but she seemed nice enough. Maybe they'd end up being friends. At the very least she appreciated his snarky comments, so that was something.

Lance heard a stern voice as he got closer to the building and crept over to the doorway to peer in. "-if it isn't the entertainment staff." 

Zarkon was standing in the center of the room looking disdainfully at a group of people Lance hadn't seen before and talking down to them. The main target of his admonishments was a very attractive asian man wearing a red leather jacket. His posture and position at the front of the group clearly indicated that he was the leader.

"Dance with the daughters. Teach 'em the mambo, the cha-cha, anything they pay for." Zarkon prodded the man in the chest a little too hard but the leader didn't so much as blink. "That's _it,_  Keith. That's where it ends. No funny business, no conversations, and _keep your hands off!_ "

Keith stared down Zarkon for a few seconds then turned to walk out of the room. The rest of the entertainment staff followed him but Lance was only really watching Keith. Zarkon turned towards where he was hiding and Lance panicked, quickly moving away from the door and hurrying down the steps back down to the gazebo, his heart racing. The defiant look he'd seen in the man's eyes kept playing through his mind.  _Who was that?_  

* * *

It wasn't until later that night that Lance saw the ridiculously attractive man again. He noticed immediately when Keith walked into the ballroom with Allura, the two of them dressed nicely. They strode through the parted crowd to the center of the room and began to dance as the guests looked on in awe.

Lance watched the duo with rapt attention, feeling a stirring in his gut as Keith danced gracefully, his muscles tensing and stretching visibly beneath his dress shirt. Lance had always known men were attractive, but he had never been this entranced by one. Usually his eyes were drawn to beautiful women. This wasn't entirely new, but it was different. Dangerous. He knew he couldn't let anything come of his attraction to men. He had always known it. His parents expected him to become a doctor or a lawyer and marry a nice girl. Emphasis on the _girl_ part. They would never approve of Lance looking at men the same way he looked at women. It was unacceptable. So Lance pushed his budding attraction down and forced himself to look away from Keith.

* * *

Lance walked down the dimly lit pathway, steadfastly ignoring the sign that said  _Staff quarters. No guests allowed_. Up above he could see a light on through the windows and he could hear the faint sound of music from all the way down here. He watched as a figure made its way over to the stairs carrying something and jogged over to see that it was Shiro.

"You're not supposed to be here. No guests allowed. House rules," Shiro said, his tone lacking any conviction. He didn't actually sound mad.

Lance shrugged. "I wanted to see what was going on up there. Can I help you with those?" He gestured to the three watermelons balanced precariously in Shiro's arms.

Shiro hesitated. "I really shouldn't."

Lance grabbed one of the three watermelons from Shiro and started walking up the stairs at a brisk pace. It was clear he was planning on going up wether Shiro approved or not.

Shiro scrambled to catch up, adjusting his two remaining watermelons. "I guess it'll be fine," he amended. "Just don't cause any trouble."

"I won't," Lance said as they reached the entrance.

Shiro turned and slammed his back against the doors, forcing them to swing open. Lance stood awkwardly in the open doorway, mouth agape. The room was dimly lit and hot and humid with the sweat of human bodies pressed close together. All the entertainment staff he'd seen earlier were paired up and dancing to the music playing loudly from the record player. Lance had never seen anyone dance like this. The people in the room were all dancing right up against their partners, their hips pressed together. It sent a little thrill down Lance's spine. He wondered what it would be like to dance like that.

"Are you coming or not?" Shiro asked over his shoulder, maneuvering his way through the crowd. Lance hurried along behind him, awkwardly avoiding eye contact with the dancers. Some of them looked at him funny, knowing he didn't belong here, but most simply ignored him, too caught up in their reverie.

Lance was relieved when they got to the edge of the crowd and were able to set the watermelons down on a table. "Do they always dance like this?" he asked, flushing faintly from the heat of the room. It was very warm in here, and it didn't help that many of the dancers were only half dressed.

Shiro laughed and clapped Lance on the back. "You haven't seen _anything_ yet." He looked over to the open doors as Keith and Allura stepped through and into the crowd, still wearing their fancy outfits. The people around them let out a few whoops and one man handed a drink to Keith which he threw back in one go.

"You see him?" Shiro pointed at Keith and Lance nodded. "That's my cousin, Keith Kogane. He got me a job here."

Lance watched as Keith and Allura made their way to the center of the crowd and began dancing very differently from how they had been earlier. They weren't dancing _with_ each other so much as they were dancing _against_ each other. They moved about with reckless abandon, their faces covered in a thin sheen of sweat and their hair in a disarray. Lance's flushed face was getting darker by the minute.

Allura turned in Keith's arms and he gripped her waist as she moved her arms to the beat, their hips pressed together. "They look amazing together," Lance remarked breathlessly.

"Yeah," Shiro replied, eyes darting over to Lance's face and noticing its flushed state with amusement. He saw that Lance's eyes were tracking Keith's movements with rapt attention. "You'd think they were a couple, wouldn't you?"

Lance's eyes widened and he looked back at Shiro "Aren't they?"

"Nah," Shiro answered, eyes going back to the two dancers. "Allura's not Keith's type, if you know what I mean."

Lance looked at Shiro in confusion and Shiro smirked. "Let's just say Zarkon doesn't need to worry about Keith getting his hands on any of the _daughters_."

"Oh," Lance said, smiling faintly at the new information. It still wasn't going to happen, but at least now any daydreams he had wouldn't be accompanied by feelings of guilt about his attraction towards someone who was probably straight.

Lance watched as Keith Lifted Allura up to straddle his hips and found himself fantasizing about taking her place. He could see Keith's pale chest through his unbuttoned shirt and wondered what the bare skin would feel like beneath his fingers.

The song ended and Keith set Allura down, joining in with the others as they cheered for a dance well done. He looked over and spotted Lance with surprise as the next song started playing. He was scowling as he made his way over. "What's he doing here?" Keith asked Shiro accusingly.

"He's with me," Shiro replied.

Keith looked at Lance and he panicked. "I carried a watermelon."

Keith's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly and he glared at Shiro once more before striding off back into the crowd.

" _I carried a watermelon_?!" Lance muttered to himself, embarrassed. Of all the things to say, why had that been the one to come out of his mouth?

Shiro looked at him sympathetically but said nothing.

Lance turned back to look at the crowd where Keith and Allura were once again tearing up the dance floor. Allura was gripping Keith's shoulders and dancing behind him when Keith looked over again at Lance and decided to take pity on him.

Lance watched awestruck as Keith approached him and waved him over. He knew he shouldn't, but he really wanted to dance with Keith. Lance hesitantly took hold of the offered hand and allowed himself to be dragged back into the crowd, looking back to Shiro for reassurance.

Keith stopped Lance and pushed down against his shoulders so that he was just barely crouching, showing him how to move his hips around in a slow circling motion. Once Lance had built up a somewhat steady rhythm, Keith put his hands on his waist and pulled Lance against him, their chests pressed together, continuing the movement of his hips. Lance felt his face flush once again as their bodies touched, enjoying the physical contact far more than he should have. Keith was warm and sweaty and his hands felt like fire on Lance's back.

A hint of a smile played across Keith's face as Lance began to pick up the moves and he stepped back slightly. "Good, now move your hips this way." Keith demonstrated and Lance followed, doing his best to mimic Keith's movements.

Nodding with approval, Keith put his hands back on Lance's hips and pulled him up against him again. The new hip movements brought their bodies even closer and Lance felt a thrill go through him each time they rubbed against each other. Keith guided Lance's arms to rest on his shoulders and Lance took the opportunity to pull himself even closer. Keith grinned this time and loosened his arms so Lance could lean back before pulling him back up again. Keith twirled him around as the song ended and Lance stumbled a few steps only to find his dancing partner gone. He scanned the room and saw the back of Keith's dress shirt retreating into a different area. Lance didn't follow.

* * *

Lance saw Keith and Allura walk past him the next day as he and Pidge helped some women apply wigs for a contest. Keith looked directly at him but showed no emotion before turning his gaze back to Allura as they discussed something.

"Pay attention," Pidge snapped, poking Lance's arm. "She's too old for you."

"No he's not," Lance replied sulkily.

Pidge side eyed him. "He?"

"I meant _she_ ," Lance corrected himself quickly, eyes darting around in panic. "Allura."

Pidge looked around to check that no one was listening and pulled Lance aside. "You like men?" She whispered. It wasn't an accusation, it was simply a question.

Lance couldn't tell what answer she wanted him to give. "No," he whispered back firmly. "Well, yeah, I guess," he amended when she looked at him skeptically. "But I also like women."

Pidge nodded understandingly. "And do you know if he..."

"I think so," Lance replied. Unless he'd completely misunderstood Shiro's implications, he was pretty sure Keith was gay. But he didn't want to say it out loud.

"So you're bi?" Pidge asked quietly. Lance looked at her in confusion and she glanced around again before clarifying. "Bisexual. You like men _and_ women."

"Yes," Lance said, running over the word in his head. It felt right, and it was nice to finally have a name to put to his attractions. He looked at Pidge questioningly. "Are you?"

Pidge shook her head. "No, I'm..." she hesitated. "I like girls. Just girls." She looked up at him as if afraid he would judge her for it and was relieved to see Lance smiling instead.

"You know, I'm glad I met you," he said, slinging an arm around her shoulder and ruffling her hair.

She laughed. "Me too."

* * *

That night there was another dance in the gazebo. Lance stood off to the side and watched with mild interest as Keith danced with a very thin woman he'd overheard Zarkon refer to as Haggar. The way Keith was dancing now was very different from last night and it wasn't nearly as exciting to watch. He was perfectly put together and moved purposefully and precisely. The dance was well executed but there wasn't much emotion to it. Keith was politely detached and seemed uninterested even as Haggar tried to give him flirty looks.

Lotor, Zarkon's son and right hand man, pulled Keith aside. Lance leaned forward and strained to hear him. "Where's Allura? Everybody's been asking for her."

"What do you mean 'where's Allura?' She's taking a break," Keith replied tersely, glaring at Lotor. "She needs a break."

"As long as it's not an all night break," Lotor replied coldly. He turned towards Lance's family and smiled, his demeanor shifting to friendliness. "Sofia," he said, approaching Lance's sister. She smiled up at him through her lashes. "Let's take a walk."

Sofia looked to their father for permission and looped her arm through Lotor's, allowing him to lead her out into the night.

Lance scanned the crowd for Pidge's signature green and strode over to her. "Pidge," he said. "Come with me. I don't want to leave my sister alone with that douche."

"Lotor?" Pidge asked. "Why?"

"I don't trust him," Lance said quietly. He peered over Pidge's shoulder at Lotor and Sofia's retreating forms and frowned. Something didn't seem right about that man, and Lance would rather he seem overprotective than let Lotor do anything bad to his sister.

Pidge nodded, seeing the worry evident across her friend's face. "Alright, lets go."

Lance glanced back to see his parents watching with interest as he and Pidge walked off together. They probably thought this was a budding romance. He wasn't sure wether the thought amused or annoyed him. Either way, it was a good cover.

* * *

Lance and Pidge walked down the path in the direction his sister and Lotor had gone but didn't see any sign of them. He was starting to get worried when he heard voices coming from the bushes.

He and Pidge ducked down as Sofia emerged. She looked disheveled and was clearly upset. "Lotor, I didn't hear an apology," she said, voice shaking.

"Go back to Mommy and Daddy and listen," Lotor snarled back, no longer bothering with his false friendliness. "Maybe you'll hear one in your dreams."

Lance looked over at Pidge. Her hands were clutched in her skirt and she seemed ready to cry.

"Are you okay?" Lance whispered.

Pidge wiped her eyes beneath her glasses and stood up. "He can't get away with this. I'm going to make his summer hell," she said furiously, striding down the path towards Sofia. Lance stood and watched as Pidge placed herself between Sofia and Lotor and derailed any plans he might've had. He felt his gut twist with guilt. He should have warned Sofia the moment he noticed something was off. She wouldn't have listened, but he should've at least tried.

Feeling disgusted with himself, Lance walked away from the gazebo and up to the main house. He looked up at the dim lampposts and kicked at the dirt. He was trudging up the stairs when he heard a noise and walked towards it to investigate. Allura was tucked behind a column at the top of the stairs, curled into herself. She looked up as Lance approached her and he saw the tears glinting on her face.

Lance turned and ran down the stairs two at a time, sprinting down the path to the gazebo. He scanned the crowd for Keith and went up to him, tapping his shoulder. Keith turned and saw Lance's expression. "It's Allura," Lance said quietly.

Keith nodded and followed Lance as he ran back the way he came. Shiro spied them sprinting down the path and hurried to catch up.

Allura looked up at Keith as he came to the top of the stairs and crouched down beside her. He reached a hand out to touch her knee. "What happened?"

Her shoulders shook with sobs and she buried her face in her hands. "I can't dance," she choked out. "I twisted my ankle and I can't do it anymore. I can't dance." She looked up at Keith with desperation. "I need this job, Keith. What am I supposed to do?"

Keith clenched his jaw and lifted her into his arms, standing up. "We'll figure something out," he murmured. Allura buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed. "I've got you," Keith added as he started back down the stairs towards the staff quarters. "I've always got you. Never doubt that."

* * *

Allura leaned against Shiro as Keith paced around the room. Her tears had mostly dried up but her eyes were red and ringed with dark circles. "I'm sorry, Keith," she murmured. "I was supposed to dance with you at the Hall of the Lions."

"What's at the Hall of Lions?" Lance asked. He felt like he was intruding, but none of them asked him to leave.

"It's another hotel where they do their mambo act," Shiro replied tiredly. "On Thursday. If they cancel, they lose this season's salary and next year's gig."

"Can't someone else fill in?" Lance asked.

Keith turned and glared at him. "No, somebody else _can't_ fill in. Everybody works here. What, you wanna do it? Wanna take time out from Simon says?"

"That's actually not a bad idea," Shiro said.

Keith scoffed and turned away. "It's a terrible idea."

"He can move," Allura remarked, remembering the dance she'd seen Lance and Keith share the night before. "It's not ideal but... you're a strong partner, Keith. You can lead anybody."

"It won't _work_ ," Keith said again with exasperation. "They would never go for two men dancing together. _No one_ would. I'd not only be fired I'd be blacklisted."

Allura looked Lance over carefully, noting his slender build and smooth face. "So we dress him up."

Keith ran his hand through his hair in agitation and looked at Shiro.

Shiro shrugged. "I think he'd make a very pretty girl."

Keith huffed and threw up his hands in defeat. "Fine! But you two better figure out how you're gonna do that before we have to dance at the show. And you," He looked at Lance. "Get ready to have your ass worked off. We start tomorrow."

* * *

Lance watched his feet nervously as he and Keith practiced the first steps, Keith scowling at him when he stepped on his foot. Keith pulled away and frowned at Lance. "You don't step on the one. You gotta start on the two. Find the two, you understand?" He set the needle down on the record to start the track.

"I told you I never did any of these dances before," Lance muttered. He was starting to wonder why he found this man who took everything far too seriously to be so God damn attractive, but it was too late to back out now. At least the blushing at their constant physical contact was somewhat suppressed by Lance's growing frustration with his teacher.

Keith's eyes narrowed in annoyance but he continued with the lesson, voice stern. "It's one, two, three, four. When the music starts, you don't dance until the two. Got it?"

Lance sighed but nodded, taking Keith's hands and getting into position as the music began playing. He really was trying, he just couldn't seem to meet Keith's standards.

Keith adjusted the placement of Lance's arms and scolded him when he started too early, making him stand still until the music was at the right place. Then they started doing the steps. Lance tried his best but accidentally stepped on Keith's foot. Again.

This was not going very well.

* * *

Lance found Keith to be an easily frustrated but very effective teacher. His hands were always there to adjust Lance's posture and his voice gave clear and concise instructions. As frustrating as their lessons were, Lance could tell he was getting better. It helped that he was practicing on his own, doing the movements over and over again until he got them right and then doing them some more.

They were finally starting to move in tandem but Keith wanted more from his dance partner. "The steps aren't enough," he told Lance as they danced it nearly perfectly. " _Feel_ the music."

* * *

"It's not on the one," Keith said, trying to explain it to Lance for what felt like the hundredth time. "It's not the mambo. It's... a feeling, a heartbeat." He placed his hand on his chest and mimicked the sound of his heartbeat.

"Trust me," Keith said, pulling Lance's hand and placing it over his own heart. He tapped out the rhythm with his fingers. Lance looked at him intently.

"Close your eyes," Keith said. Lance complied and concentrated on where his hand rested on Keith's chest, feeling Keith's strong and steady pulse and trying to tap it out in tandem with the hand pressed over his own. He could feel Keith's warmth beneath his fingers and thought he could almost feel an increase in Keith's heart rate as he closed his eyes, but that could have just been wishful thinking.

Keith started moving in time with his heartbeat, leading Lance through the steps. "Two, three, four," he counted out. "Two, three, four. Breathe."

Lance opened his eyes and his partner smiled at him. Lance was certain he felt a jump in Keith's pulse as they continued dancing, perfectly in sync with Keith's heartbeat.

"Now we're getting somewhere."

* * *

"Lock your frame. Lock it," Keith glared at Lance in frustration and gestured to his loose posture. "Look, spaghetti arm."

He dropped Lance's hand and held out his arms to indicate where he should be. "This is my dance space." He moved Lance's arms to indicate where Lance should be. "This is your dance space. I don't go into yours. You don't go into mine. You gotta hold the frame."

He turned to Allura. "Again."

Lance got into position as the music started and Allura adjusted his posture. She went through the steps behind him, guiding his movements. He glanced down at his feet to make sure he was doing the steps right then looked back up at Keith, surprised to see a smile on his face.

"You're getting better."

* * *

"Back," Keith said, guiding Lance through the spin. He twirled Lance around. "And turn, turn. Down," he pulled Lance up but just made a vague movement in place of the next part. "And lift. You'll learn that later."

"And come on," he led Lance through the steps. "Down. Twist." He arched backwards. "And the bow."

Lance leaned back and Keith staggered, groaning in pain as his back was pulled too far.

"Sorry," Lance said weakly, genuinely meaning it. "I didn't mean to-"

"You trying to kill me?" Keith interrupted angrily. "You gotta concentrate! Is that your idea of _fun_?" He spat the last words.

Lance placed his hands on his hips and looked back at his hot tempered dance partner defiantly. "Yes, as a matter of fact it _is_ ," he said snarkily. "We're supposed to do the show in two days, you won't show me lifts, I'm not sure at turns, I'm doing all this to save _your ass_ , what I really wanna do is drop you on it."

Keith looked at Lance, both of their faces covered in sweat, and his scowl dropped. "Let's get out of here."

Lance looked at Keith in confusion but quickly hurried out into the rain after him, throwing on his jacket. He was completely soaked by the time they got to Keith's car.

"Shit," Keith swore, banging his fists against the roof of his car. He turned to Lance. "I locked the keys in the car."

Lance looked in the window before Keith's hands pushed him to the side. "What are you-"

Keith smashed a rock through the window and reached in to get the keys, looking over at Lance as he opened the car door. "You're getting wet, aren't you?"

Lance looked at Keith in stunned silence but climbed into the passenger seat and pulled the door shut behind him. Keith got in next to him and started the car.

"You're wild," Lance said as they drove away from the resort. The rain pounded against the car and leaked in through the broken window.

Keith looked over at him. "What?"

"You're _wild!_ " Lance exclaimed, throwing his head back and laughing.

Keith grinned.

* * *

Lance watched as Keith walked barefoot across the fallen tree, his arms spread out for balance. "Now," Keith said, stopping and looking at Lance. "The most important thing to remember in lifts is balance."

Keith jumped and landed crookedly, arms windmilling about as he tried to steady himself. He scrabbled for footing until he'd regained his balance and grinned at Lance, laughing. "I got it now."

Lance liked seeing this side of Keith. Carefree instead of rigid and tense. Keith always seemed to have his guard up, but lately he'd been letting it slip around Lance. His endless practices and insistent teaching style still frustrated Lance to no end, but now the motivations behind his methods were clear. Keith wanted things to be done right, and felt like it was a personal failing on his part if they weren't. Lance could understand that.

"So," Lance asked after a few minutes, breaking the comfortable silence. "Where'd you learn to be a dancer?"

Keith carefully walked along the tree towards where Lance sat. "Well, this guy came into this luncheonette one day and," he looked up from his feet and shrugged. "We were all sitting around doing nothing. And he said that he was giving a test for instructors." He stopped walking and stood still. "So, if you passed they'd teach you different dances, show you how to break them down, teach them." He smiled sadly. "I grew up poor and I'm not White. It's not like I had a whole lot of promising career choices lined up, so I did it. And it turned out I was good at it."

Lance sighed and traced his fingers over the bark of the tree. "We're the only Cuban family in our neighborhood, but we were able to move there because of my father's success as a doctor. My parents say that they'll support me no matter what." He looked up at Keith. "But I know they'd be disappointed if I became anything other than a doctor or a lawyer."

"Well what do you want to do?" Keith asked curiously.

Lance shrugged noncommittally. "I don't know. But I want to be the one who chooses."

Keith stepped forward and gestured for Lance to come towards him.

Lance shook his head nervously but Keith ignored his half hearted protest and walked the rest of the way to him and helped Lance stand up, holding his hands as they walked back towards the middle of the log. Lance looked down at his bare feet to make sure they were firmly on the tree.

Keith pulled Lance's chin up so that their eyes met. "Look up," he said, resuming the dancing position. They started to practice their dance with slow movements, balancing carefully as the steps took them down the length of the tree. It took some getting used to, but after a while Lance felt steady enough on his feet to do the steps without using Keith's arms to balance himself.

Lance held his arms out to keep steady and continued doing the steps, grinning widely as he moved without loosing his balance. He looked up at his dancing partner and Keith laughed at how proud Lance was of having found his balance.

* * *

Lance ran through the grass towards Keith and stopped right as he reached him, bracing his arms on Keith's shoulders as he was lifted up. Keith lowed Lance to the ground and walked backwards a few yards. "Good try."

Lance got ready to take another running start but halted when Keith put his hand up as a signal for him to wait. "Now, you'll hurt me if you don't trust me, all right?"

Lance nodded, wanting to get this over with, and ran forward as Keith gestured for him to continue. This lift was a little better. Keith raised Lance higher in the air but they weren't balanced enough to complete it.

Keith backed away again and gestured Lance forward. "Go."

Lance ran and leapt up as Keith gripped his waist and lifted him up, but they toppled over as Lance lost his grip on Keith's shoulders, throwing off their balance. Lance landed on top of Keith, sprawled over him rather clumsily, and laughed.

Keith looked up at Lance seriously then broke into laughter as well. He laid his head back in the grass, enjoying the weight of Lance's body above his. "You know, the best place to practice lifts is in the water."

* * *

They stood chest deep in the lake, Keith bare chested and Lance wearing only his under shirt. It was a sight Lance thought he could get used to. He kept getting distracted by the way Keith's muscles shifted as he moved and the drops of water that almost glittered when the fading light hit his skin.

Keith saw that Lance was no longer paying attention and waved his hand in front of Lance's face, snapping his partner out of whatever he'd been thinking about. "Lance? You ready?"

Lance blinked a few times to clear his head and nodded, embarrassed to have been caught. He took a deep breath to steady himself and strode up to Keith, spreading his arms wide and trying to keep his body rigid as Keith gripped his waist and lifted him clear out of the water and above his head. "Good," Keith said below him. "Good. Now hold your position." Lance wavered. "Hold it," Keith repeated. "Good. Don't break it. Don't break it-"

Lance took a deep breath and pointed his arms together in a dive as he tipped forward, falling into the water with Keith's grip still firmly on his waist. He broke the surface and sputtered, spitting out water. Keith laughed even as he helped Lance up, arms circling around Lance's torso in a loose embrace.

Lance looked at Keith's face right in front of his own and felt his cheeks grow hot. He hoped it was dark enough that Keith wouldn't notice.

* * *

"I can't believe it's tonight," Lance said nervously.

Allura smiled as she fastened Lance's empty bra behind him. Lance breathed deeply, trying to calm himself. "I'll just keep my shoulders down, my head up, my frame locked, stay on my toes," He stopped and looked over his shoulder at Allura. "What if I forget the steps?"

"Pull up, watch the frame. And remember, let him lead you," Allura replied. "You're gonna do great."

"I'm afraid I'm gonna forget to spike, get dizzy, and fall on my face," Lance replied. He shook his head and began his list of things to remember again. "No. Don't look at my feet, keep my head up, my eyes open, tension in my arms, my frame locked, seat pulled up-"

"Thanks, Blue," Allura said softly.

He turned and looked at her. "I'm just glad I could help. Now," Lance looked down at the dress draped over a nearby chair and grinned. "Make me pretty."

* * *

"Pidge!"

Pidge turned and looked at the bushes. A girl who looked vaguely familiar stood in the shadows beckoning Pidge over to her. She stepped forward. Wait, was that-

"Blue?" She asked.

Lance nodded. "I'll explain later, just," he looked towards the doors where people were filing into the hall. "Cover for me. Please." He gripped her hands in his own. "It's important."

Pidge nodded uncertainly.

Lance smiled. "Thank you so much!" He turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Pidge standing there in confusion. Was there some costumed event she didn't know about? Or did this have something to do with the long stretches of time Lance had gone off doing who knew what with flimsy excuses, asking her to cover for him? She wasn't sure. Whatever it was, Keith was involved, that was for certain.

* * *

"The House of Lions is proud to present Keith Kogane and partner in Mambo Madness!"

Lance took his place in front of Keith nervously as they were announced. He stood still and fought the urge to run. Pidge hadn't recognized him immediately, so hopefully this would work. Hopefully.

The make up was pretty good at making his face look more feminine but the illusion wasn't perfect. Anyone looking too closely would've notices his adam's apple and wonder why he was so tall. Keith was the one wearing heeled shoes while Lance's shoes had barely any. They'd coordinated it so that Keith had more of a height boost since Lance was normally a fraction of an inch taller than Keith.

The wig was another problem. He worried incessantly that it would come off despite the assurances Allura had given him otherwise earlier.

As for the dress, he actually had no complaints. It was comfortable and not too restricting, and the fabric cut across his chest in a v neck that made it easy to pad his bra convincingly.

The lights went up onstage and Lance had barely any time to prepare himself before the music began. Keith lifted his arm and guided him through the first movement. "Relax," he whispered. Lance smiled uncomfortably, trying not to let the audience see how nervous he was, and let Keith twirl him around and back. He bumped awkwardly against Keith on the return spin but his partner just kept going as if it hadn't happened.

Keith tilted Lance's chin up to look at him and grasped his arms, resuming their dance. They moved through the steps fluidly as Lance gained more confidence. He really was good considering how little time he'd had to prepare. Maybe he was worrying a little too much.

"Cross Body Lead," Keith instructed as the music shifted. Lance nodded and followed Keith's lead.

They did the next several spins seamlessly until Lance turned right instead of left.

"Wrong way," Keith whispered, hands reaching out to grip Lance's waist and correct him subtly.

They did the next bit of the dance and Keith held Lance's arms above his head as they finished their current movement. "Ready for the lift?"

They spun away from each other and Lance backed up. "Come on," Keith said encouragingly as the spotlight hit Lance.

Lance ran ran forward but panicked when he reached Keith and improvised hastily to cover up his mistake.

"Keep going," Keith said, leading Lance into the next part of the dance. They executed their last few moves perfectly and arched back in a bow as the music ended.

They bowed to the different parts of the audience and Lance's eyes widened as he saw Haggar among the crowd. He glanced to Keith and saw his partner had seen her too. They rushed through the rest of their bows and Keith quickly led Lance offstage, both of them silently panicking.

Knowing Lance's absence might be noticed, they headed straight for the car, running through the rain. Their nice clothes were drenched in seconds.

Lance pulled the rear door open and slammed it shut, letting out a breathy laugh. He looked up at Keith as he slid into the drivers seat and smiled.

"You did good," Keith said proudly as he started the car. "You worked hard."

"I saw that scary lady Haggar and I thought that was it."

Keith nodded and looked back at him. "Me too, but I don't think she recognized you."

Lance leaned his head back against the seat and laughed again. "I was so scared I'd ruined it completely when I messed up."

Keith glanced in his rear view mirror at Lance. "You know, by the second turn you really had it."

"But I didn't do the lift," Lance said, working the pins in his wig loose and pulling it off. He ran his fingers through his sweaty hair in annoyance.

Keith's eyes kept darting to the rear view mirror as Lance peeled off his dress and tossed the bra aside. "You did real good," Keith said.

Lance pulled on a shirt. "Thanks." He wriggled into a pair of pants and clambered over into the front seat, plopping himself down next to Keith.

Keith looked at him. "You've still got, uh," He gestured to Lance's face.

"Thanks, I forgot." Lance reached into the back and rummage around for the makeup remover Allura had given him.

Keith stole glances at Lance as he scrubbed at the makeup coating his face. "You made a really pretty girl," he remarked.

Lance laughed. "Are you saying I don't make a pretty boy?"

"No." Keith's eyes darted to Lance. His lips quirked in a subtle smile. "You do."

"Well, I'm flattered," Lance replied, looking away as a huge smile spread across his face from the compliment.

* * *

Lance and Keith were walking down the pathway hand in hand from the car when Lance's father spotted them and stormed over. Lance quickly broke his hand away and Keith stuffed his in the pockets of his red leather jacket.

Lance's father glared at Keith. "Blue, come here. Don't associate with that rif-raff."

Lance looked at Keith then hesitantly walked over to his father, who took hold of his face and peered at it. Apparently he hadn't done as good a job at cleaning himself up as he'd thought. "What are you wearing?" His father asked angrily. He tugged at Lance's earlobe, removing a clip-on hoop. "Are these _earrings_?!"

Lance said nothing, just pulled away from his fathers grip and unclipped his remaining earring before rubbing at his face with his sleeve to get any remaining makeup off. He knew it wouldn't make a difference at this point, but it felt like if he pretended hard enough maybe his father would believe him. "it's nothing," he mumbled.

"You're not the person I thought you were," his father said harshly. Lance shrank back, wanting to run back to Keith and hide from his father's disapproving glare. "I'm not sure who you are."

His father looked over Lance's shoulder at Keith and scowled. "I don't want you to have anything to do with this man or any of his people. Nothing! You're to have nothing to do with them ever again!" He gripped Lance's arm and pulled him away from Keith.

Lance looked back over his shoulder as he was dragged away. Keith looked at him with resignation and turned to go.

Lance's father gripped his face and turned it towards him. "Look at me, not him." He sighed as they neared the room they were staying in. "I won't tell your mother about this. Right now I'm going to go to bed. I don't want this to happen again, do you hear me?"

Lance nodded and his father patted him roughly on the back. It wasn't at all comforting or reassuring. "We all make mistakes, Blue. Just make sure you learn from this one."

* * *

Lance waited a full hour after his father fell asleep to sneak out, making his way to the staff quarters in the dark. He knocked on Keith's door, gut churning nervously.

Keith opened the door and seemed surprised to see Lance. He stood there, lit from behind, his chest bare as soft music trickled out the door.

"Can I..." Lance hesitated. "Can I come in?" 

Keith stepped aside to let Lance past and closed the door behind him. He looked around at the mess of clothes he hadn't bothered to clean up in a few days. "I guess it's not a great room, you probably got a great room."

"No, it's a _great_ room." Lance replied awkwardly.

Keith picked the clothes up off a chair so that Lance could sit down and went to turn off the radio.

Lance reached out and touched Keith's arm. "No leave it on." he paused and lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry about the way my father treated you."

Keith looked away. "It's fine."

"No it's not!" Lance protested.

"It's justified," Keith said slowly, the self hatred evident in his voice. "He doesn't want me to hurt you. And he's right. All I can do is hurt you."

"That's not true!" Lance protested. "He doesn't know you, he doesn't know who you are. You would never hurt  _anyone_. That's not who you are."

Keith laughed but it had no humor behind it. "I've never known anyone like you, Blue," he said. "You think you can make the world better. You think you can fix it." He looked up at Lance. "You're not scared of anything."

"I'm scared of everything!" Lance answered. "I'm scared of what I did," he paused. "Who I am." Lance stood up and reached out to hold Keith's hand, twining their fingers together. "I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling for the rest of my life," he bit his lip and looked up into Keith's dark eyes. "the way I feel when I'm with you."

Keith sighed and closed his eyes, a tear spilling down his cheek. Lance couldn't tell if Keith was happy or sad. Perhaps a bittersweet combination of both.

"Dance with me," Lance said quietly.

Keith's eyes drifted open and he studied Lance's face as if it contained some great answer he'd been searching for his whole life. He couldn't understand why anyone would want him. "Why?"

Lance moved his hand up Keith's chest and gripped his shoulder. "Dance with me," he said again, his voice soft. He slid his hand up to the back of Keith's neck and combed his fingers through Keith's long hair.

Keith wrapped his arms around Lance's back, pulling their bodies together. Lance closed his eyes as they swayed to the music, anticipation running through him like electricity. He gripped Keith's biceps and bent backward sensuously like he'd seen the other dancers do that first night. His eyes opened as he came back up and he smiled softly at Keith.

Keith moved slowly, Lance's body pliant in his hands. He tipped Lance back again then pulled him up into a kiss, letting his lips linger before trailing down over Lance's jaw and onto his neck. Lance made a soft humming noise and Keith broke away, tugging at Lance's shirt and pulling it over his head so they could be chest to chest. He tossed aside the shirt and trailed his hands down Lance's back to his hips, pulling them towards him.

Lance closed his eyes again and let Keith take the lead, moving his hips to match Keith's torturously slow rhythm. He buried his face in the crook between Keith's shoulder and neck and just breathed his lover in.

Keith's hands slid from Lance's hips to his ass, gripping firmly. He hoisted Lance up, fingers splayed over his bottom to support his weight, and walked them over to the bed. He laid Lance down and bent down to kiss him, lips burning a trail down his lover's neck and over his chest. He stopped when he reached the hem of Lance's pants and looked up, checking if it was okay. Lance nodded and Keith undid his pants, sliding them down his legs. He did the same for himself and crawled back over to Lance, draping his body over him.

Lance wrapped his arms around Keith's shoulders, tangling his fingers through his lover's hair as their lips met once more. Their bodies moved in a new kind of dance, Keith once again taking the lead and guiding Lance's movements.

* * *

Breakfast the next morning was tense and uncomfortable. Lance's father barely spoke to him, and although neither Sofia nor his mother knew what was going on, they had sensed the tension and tried awkwardly to steer clear of it. Lance kept glancing over at his father only to be met with a look of disappointment and shame. He should've known his family wouldn't approve. He _had_ known. He just hadn't thought he'd be caught.

He shifted uncomfortably in his chair and tried not to wince. His body was sore from his secret rendezvous with Keith. The dull aching, while not entirely unpleasant, was a constant reminder of what he'd done. While Lance didn't regret his actions in the least, he hoped his father wouldn't notice his newfound soreness and connect it to Keith. If this was how his father treated him when he thought Lance had broken off things with Keith, how would he respond to finding out they had slept together?

Lance felt his face flush at the thought of last night and gripped his hand around his cold glass of orange juice to distract himself. He'd never done anything like that before last night, had never felt connected enough to someone to do it, but it had felt _amazing_. Something had just felt so _right_ having Keith inside him. And on top of him. And-

 _Okay_ , he cut his thoughts off. _Stop thinking about it in front of dad_.

Lance looked up at his father, hoping he hadn't noticed the blush creeping over his cheeks.

Luckily, his father hadn't. Unluckily, he still seemed intent on separating Lance and Keith. "We're leaving tomorrow," his father announced. "So we can miss the weekend traffic."

Lance's mother frowned. "But we're paid up 'til Sunday."

"And miss the show?" Sofia asked incredulously. "I was going to sing in the show!"

"I said we're leaving tomorrow," Lance's father said again firmly.

"But we'd miss the big event," Sofia protested.

Lance's mother looked at her husband with concern. "Why would you want to leave early?"

His father sighed and looked at Lance. "It was just an idea," he smiled at his wife and daughter as if nothing was wrong. "We can stay if you want to."

Lance looked down but he could still feel his father's eyes on him, watching, waiting for him to slip up and bring shame upon them. 

* * *

Lance smiled tiredly and pressed a kiss to Keith's neck, reaching up to tangle his fingers through Keith's soft hair. Keith turned his head so his chin rested above Lance's hair and hummed softly, trailing his fingers up and down the soft skin of Lance's back. He closed his eyes and smiled. This part always felt so peaceful. The sex itself was intense and fast-paced, but the time after was tranquil. He and Lance just laid together happily in bed, naked and content.

"All those women must be so disappointed you don't want them," Lance said, interrupting Keith's thoughts.

Keith snorted. "I'll bet." He ran his fingers across the ridges of Lance's spine. "Too bad I only want you."

Lance shifted his head to look up at Keith. "Have you done this a lot?" He trailed his fingers over Keith's chest nervously. "I haven't. You're the first."

Keith cupped Lance's face in his hands and leaned down to kiss him. "Not a lot," he replied, pulling away. "I don't want to do it with anyone I don't love."

Lance blushed and hid his face against Keith's neck.

"What's your real name, Blue?" Keith asked suddenly.

"Lance."

Keith smiled and stroked his thumb across Lance's cheek. "I like that. That's a real nice name."

* * *

Lance counted off the steps as he and Keith did the cha cha across the room. Keith was being very unprofessional and his hands was far lower than they should be. Lance swatted Keith's hand away as it slid the rest of the way down his back to grab his ass. "Hey!" he exclaimed even as Keith moved closer. "My frame! Where's my pleasing arc? Spaghetti arms?" He looked at Keith sternly even as he laughed.

"Would you give me some tension please? You're invading my dance space." Lance dropped Keith's arms and gestured in front of him, mockingly imitating the lesson Keith had imparted when they'd first started preparing for the show. "This is my dance space. That's yours." Lance resumed the dancing position. "Now, let's chat cha."

Keith nodded curtly but quickly stopped trying to dance properly and shifted his arms to hold Lance.

Lance clucked his tongue as Keith leaned forward to kiss his neck, craning his head back teasingly. "Don't look down. Look right here." He pointed at his eyes.

Dropping Keith's hands again, Lance turned and danced away from Keith, tilting his head to look back and laughing when Keith sunk to the floor in frustration. His lover sure was virile. He turned to face Keith as the man on the record started speaking.

 _Sylvia_ , Keith mouthed with the record.

 _Yes, Mickey_ , Lance mouthed in response.

Keith lay across the floor dramatically. _How do you call your lover boy?_

Lance looked back flirtatiously over his shoulder and crooked a finger. Come here _, Lover Boy!_

Keith sat up on his knees. _And if he doesn't answer?_

Lance turned around and leaned forward. _Oh, Lover Boy_

Keith hit his palm against the floor. _And if he still doesn't answer?_

Lance smirked and dropped to the floor, crawling seductively towards Keith on all fours. _I simply say- Baby, oh baby_.

They moved along the floor towards each other. 

 _My sweet baby_ Keith leaned back and played air guitar.

He leaned back up so he and Lance were nearly chest to chest and wrapped his arms around Lance. _Y_ _ou're the one_

Lance pulled Keith up with him as he stood. _Baby, oh baby_

They pressed up against each other, lips almost meeting as Lance mouthed the words. _My sweet baby, you're the one_

Lance leaned in and kissed Keith as the singer's voice finished.

"Keith!"

Lance pulled away quickly as Lotor came into the room and began doing the cha cha by himself as if this were a lesson. Keith went back to the record player and pulled the needle off.

"My father put me in charge of the final show," Lotor said authoritatively, clearly proud he'd been entrusted with the responsibility. "I wanted to talk to you about the last dance." Keith looked at him blankly but Lotor continued. "I'd like to shake things up a bit. You know, move with the times."

Keith took a step back in surprise. "Really? I've got a lot of ideas," he said enthusiastically, glad to have a chance to be heard. "I've been working with the staff kids on a cross between a Cuban rhythm," he demonstrated. "and soul dancing."

"Whoa, boy," Lotor replied harshly, putting his hand up to cut off Keith's suggestions. "Way over your head here. You always do the mambo, huh? Why not dance this year's final dance," he paused for effect, as if doing so improved whatever shitty idea he was about to propose. "to the pachenga?"

Lance saw Keith's jaw flex. "Right," Keith replied tersely.

Lotor smirked. "Well, you're free to do the same, tired number as last year if you want, but next year we'll find another dance person who'll only be too happy-"

" _Sure_ , Lotor. _No problem_ ," Keith growled. "We'll end the season with the pachenga," he practically spat the last word out. "Great idea," he added sarcastically.

Lotor clucked his tongue in distaste and turned to Lance, speaking to him as if Keith weren't standing right behind him with a look of barely suppressed rage spread across his face. "Sometimes he's hard to talk to," Lotor said. "but the ladies seem to like him." He slung an arm around Lance's shoulders despite Lance's obvious discomfort. "See that he gives you the full half-hour you're paying him for, kid."

Lotor removed his arm and walked away, the door slamming behind him. Lance slowly released the tension in his body, jumping in surprise when Keith slammed his fist against the wall.

* * *

"That little creep," Keith spat as he walked quickly down the path. "He wouldn't know a new idea if it hit him in the pachenga." He huffed in frustration and ran his fingers through his hair. "I could have told him some new ideas."

Lance followed hurriedly. "Why did you let him talk to you that way?"

Keith let out a sharp laugh. "What, fight the boss man?"

"You should tell him your ideas," Lance responded, reaching out to touch Keith's shoulder comfortingly. "He's an asshole, but he's also a person like everyone else."

Keith shook his head. "Look, I know these people. They are rich and they're mean. They won't listen to me."

"Why not fight harder? _Make_ them listen."

Keith stopped and turned to Lance, frustration bubbling over. "Because I need this goddamned job lined up for next summer!"

Lance opened his mouth to reply but halted when he heard his sister's and father's voices coming down the path. Panicked, he grabbed Keith's arm and yanked him down so they were hidden behind a plant. He waited a few anxious seconds for the voices to pass and breathed a sigh of relief, looking back to Keith. "I don't think they saw us."

Keith looked down, jaw flexing as his teeth clenched. "You're ashamed of me," he said coldly.

"No," Lance protested, cupping Keith's face in his hands and raising it up so their eyes met. "I'm not," he said. "I just..." he bit his lip in shame. "My father can't know."

Keith broke away and stood up. "It's fine," he said, clearly not meaning it. "I understand."

Lance reached out to grab his hand and Keith withdrew it. "It's _fine_ ," Keith repeated tersely, turning away from Lance. "If you're so scared he'll find out you should just stay away from me."

Lance watched mutely as Keith stormed back the way they came, wanting to say something but not knowing what the right words to fix this would be.

* * *

Lance knocked timidly on Keith's door. "Keith?" he called out. "I'm sorry. You were right, I-"

The door swung open. "I told you, it's _fine_." Keith sighed. "I know what your father thinks of me. I understand why you're scared of him finding out. It's okay."

"No, it's _not_ ," Lance replied, tearing up. "It's not _okay_. I'm not ashamed of you. Please don't let my fears ruin this." He brushed the tears from his cheeks as they fell. " _Please_."

Keith tilted Lance's chin up and pressed a kiss to his lips. "We're in this together," he said softly, pulling Lance into his arms. "I understand why you're scared, I do. I'm sorry for the way I reacted."

Lance sniffled and nodded, burying his face in Keith's neck.

A cold voice cut across the pathway. "Well what do we have here?"

Lance pulled away from Keith and hastily wiped his still wet eyes before turning around, body going rigid as he saw who it was.

"Lotor," Keith growled under his breath, fists clenching at his sides.

"The one and only," Lotor replied condescendingly. A few of the other entertainment staff came out of their quarters to see what was going on but he ignored them. "I always knew there was something off about you, Kogane, but now I finally know. I'm surprised it took me this long to realize you're just a _filthy. little. faggot_."

Keith clenched his fists at his side and Lance touched his arm. "Don't," he whispered. "It's what he wants."

"And _you_ ," Lotor continued, turning his gaze on Lance. "He's already trash, but you should know better. Letting him do that to you is disgusting, you should be-"

Keith leapt over the rail of the porch and punched Lotor in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground. "Don't talk about him like that," Keith said, voice low and threatening.

Lotor laughed, swiping his hand across his bloody nose and getting to his feet. "Or what?" he taunted. "You'll fuck me up like you fucked hi-"

Keith swung at Lotor again, missing this time. Lotor retaliated and hit him square in the stomach. Keith stumbled back from the force of the impact and glared at Lotor, lunging forward and tackling him to the ground. He grabbed a fistful of Lotor's shirt and pulled him up, raising his fist to strike him once more.

"Do it," Lotor spat, sneering.

Keith clenched his teeth and looked back over at Lance, who was watching with fear. Keith stood up, glaring down at Lotor as he stumbled to his feet. "Get out of here, you piece of shit, you're not worth it!" Keith removed his hand from Lotor's shirt and shoved him away. "You're not worth it."

Keith glared at Lotor as he retreated back down the path and out of sight, then turned and walked back to Lance who was still standing up on the porch and hugged him through the railing, their elevation difference making it so that Keith's head was at Lance's chest. He wrapped his arms around Lance and forced himself to breathe slowly to calm down.

Lance ran his fingers over Keith's hair soothingly and murmured to him. "Thank you," he whispered. "But please don't do that again."

Keith pressed his cheek against Lance's chest and nodded.

"Let's go inside," Lance said softly, pulling Keith's face up to look at him. He grabbed Keith's arms and helped him climb back over the railing, pulling them both into Keith's quarters and shutting the door behind them.

As soon as the door clicked shut Keith surged forward, pinning Lance against the wall with a desperate kiss. "Promise you won't leave me," he said as he broke away for breath, his voice ragged.

Lance wrapped his arms more fully around Keith. "I promise," he said, initiating another kiss.

* * *

Keith nestled his head against Lance's. "You wanna hear something crazy? Last night l- I dreamt that..." Lance shifted in Keith's arms and turned so they were facing each other.

Keith pressed a kiss to his nose. "I had a dream that we were walking along and we met your father. He said, 'Come on,' and he put his arm around me. And we walked together," his smile faded. "It makes me sad that it'll never come true."

Lance sighed and snuggled up to Keith, wrapping his arms around him. "At least the part about us being together is true."

"Yeah," Keith replied, closing his eyes. "That's the part that matters."

* * *

Lance picked at his food, avoiding Lotor's gaze as they ate breakfast. Zarkon's son had a fresh shiner blooming across his face but seemed otherwise undisturbed by the hits he'd taken the day before. His father and Zarkon were talking about something, but Lance wasn't really listening.

Zarkon leaned in conspiratorially and spoke in a low voice. "A wallet was stolen last night and Sendak thinks he remembers this dance kid Keith-" Lance's head snapped up at the name. "-walking by. So we ask him, 'You have an alibi for last night?' He says he was alone in his room reading. There are no books in Keith's room!"

"There's been a mistake," Lance interjected, looking over at Zarkon. "I know Keith didn't do it. He's not a thief."

Lotor smirked in Lance's peripheral vision and Zarkon waved his hand dismissively. "There were similar thefts at the House of the Lions where he did his show and at the same time. It's happened here before. Three other wallets."

"I _know_ he didn't do it," Lance said more firmly, slamming his fork down.

"Stay out of it, Blue," his father reprimanded harshly, giving him a warning look, his disapproval evident.

"Dad, you've got to believe me," Lance persisted. "I know Keith didn't take that wallet."

"Oh? How do you know?" his father snapped back.

Lance shrank back in his seat. "I can't tell you." He looked down nervously. "Just please trust me, Dad."

"I'm sorry, Blue," his father replied coldly. "I can't."

"Maybe Keith didn't do it," Lance said again, appealing to Zarkon. "Anyone could've taken it. Maybe it was, uh-" he thought about it for a second. "It could've been that lady, Haggar. I saw her with a couple of wallets."

"Blue, you don't go around accusing innocent people."

"I even saw her at the House of Lions," Lance continued. "You said something was stolen from there."

"I got an eyewitness and the kid has no alibi," Zarkon said, standing up from the table and pushing his chair in. He turned to his son. "Come on, Lotor. You'll learn what it's like to fire an employee."

"Wait a minute," Lance said weakly. Zarkon glared down at him and he stood up stubbornly. "I _know_ Keith didn't take the wallet. I know he didn't." He clenched his fists, forcing the rest of his words out. "He was in his room all night last night," Lance's eyes flicked to his father. "And the reason I know is because I was..." He looked down in what they probably thought was shame but was actually fear of how his father would react. "I was with him."

Lance's father said nothing, slamming his drink back onto the table and standing up to leave. "Excuse me," he muttered without looking up before he stormed off.

Lance watched in stunned silence as his mother and Sofia processed what had just happened and what it meant, flinching back when Sofia stood up and reached out to him. The last thing he saw as he bolted away was Lotor's sneer.

* * *

Lance bit his lip as he approached his father. His father hadn't said anything to Lance since breakfast and didn't turn to face his son when Lance stepped outside and stood behind him.

"I told you I was telling the truth," Lance said softly, staring at his feet. "I'm sorry I lied to you. But you lied too."

He looked up at his father who still hadn't turned to face him. "You always taught me that everyone was alike and equal and deserved a fair break. But you meant everyone who's like you. You told me you wanted me to change the world, to make it better. But you meant by becoming a lawyer or a doctor and finding a nice wife," tears began to pool in his eyes but he stubbornly refused to let them fall. "I'm not proud of myself for lying to you. But I'm in this family too."

His voice started to break as the tears fell. "You can't keep giving me the silent treatment. There are a lot of things about me that aren't what you thought. But if you love me, you have to love all the things about me."

Lance swiped his arm across his eyes as the tears dripped down his face. "And I love you," he sobbed. Lance saw his father's shoulders stiffen but he didn't turn around to face his son. 

"And I'm sorry I let you down. I'm so sorry, Dad. But you let me down too."

Lance turned and ran off, still crying. _Why hadn't his father said anything?_

* * *

Keith opened his door and was surprised to see Lance sleeping in his bed. He walked over and sat down next to Lance.

"I've been looking for you all over," Keith said as Lance shifted and turned towards him, opening his eyes. They were still red from crying. Keith leaned over and kissed Lance softly.

"They found Haggar," Keith continued as he pulled away. "Fingerprinted her water glass." Lance sat up and Keith grinned at him. "Found out she was wanted in Arizona and Florida. And she made a fortune here this summer."

Lance smiled and hugged Keith tight. "So then it's all right," he cried with relief. "I knew it would work out! I knew they'd have to apologize!"

Keith's smile faltered and he sighed. "I'm out, Blue."

Lance pulled away and looked up at Keith's face. "They fired you anyway because of me," he breathed in horror.

"And if I leave quietly, I'll get my summer bonus," Keith added. "It's really not so bad."

Lance shook his head. "So I did it for nothing." He pulled out of Keith's grasp and stood up, gripping his head in his hands. "I hurt my family, you lost your job anyway- I did it for nothing!"

Keith stood up and grabbed Lance's hands. "No, not for nothing," he said firmly.

He squeezed Lance's hands. "Nobody has ever done anything like that for me before."

"You were right," Lance said quietly. "You can't win no matter what you do."

Keith turned Lance towards him and put his hands on Lance's shoulders. "No," he said. "Listen to me. I don't want to hear that from you. You _can_."

Lance stared down at the ground. "I used to think so."

* * *

Keith tapped Lance's father's shoulder awkwardly. "Dr. McClain, can l, uh-" he sighed. "Look, I'm going anyway and I know what you must be thinking."

Lance's father glared at him. "You don't know anything at all about me."

"I know you want Blue to be like you," Keith replied. "The kind of person people look up to. Blue is like that. If you could just see-"

"Don't you tell me what to see," Lance's father snapped angrily. "I see someone in front of me who seduced and defiled my son." He glared at Keith. "All completely without any regard for the way you're derailing his life and destroying his chances at a good future."

Keith stepped back and looked down sadly. "Yeah, I guess that's what you would see."

* * *

Lance pressed his face against Keith's red leather jacket, trying to memorize its scent. "I can't imagine being here without you even one day."

Keith smiled halfheartedly. "Just think, you'll have more time for horseshoes and croquet," he joked.

Neither of them laughed. 

"I guess we surprised everybody," Lance mumbled into Keith's jacket.

"I guess we did," Keith replied.

Lance pulled away slightly to look into Keith's eyes. "I'll never be sorry."

Keith's lips quirked up in an almost-smile. "Neither will l."

Keith leaned forward for one last long, lingering kiss before climbing into his car and driving off.

Lance watched Keith's car disappear around the bend with a silent resignation. This was it. It was really over.

He wasn't ready for it to be over.

* * *

"Are you okay?"

Lance looked over at Sofia tiredly. She'd been getting ready for the talent show while he'd simply laid on his bed, unmoving. "I'm fine," he replied hollowly. It wasn't the truth but it was the only answer he could give.

Sofia sat down beside him on the bed. "What was it like?" she asked quietly, looking down where her hands rested in her lap.

"What?"

She turned her head to look at him. "Being in love."

Lance turned away from her looked blankly at the wall. "He was everything. And now he's gone."

Sofia touched his shoulder comfortingly. "Do you regret meeting him?"

"No," Lance replied. " _God_ , no."

* * *

Lance sat quietly as the participants of the talent show sang their closing number. He picked listlessly at the food on his plate to avoid his father's gaze. The ever present tension had decreased slightly since Keith left but it hadn't abated completely. His mother, at least, didn't seem mad at him. She was clearly conflicted, but she was making an effort to understand. Sofia was the only one who seemed indifferent. She had been surprised, of course, but if she felt any disgust or disappointment she hadn't show it, and he was grateful for that.

Lance heard murmurs from the other side of the room and glanced over, his breath catching when he saw a familiar red leather jacket. _Keith_.

He didn't say it out loud but he might as well have. His parents looked over and saw Keith approaching their table, his father stiffening in anger.

Keith looked directly at Lance's father without fear, then reached a hand out to Lance. "Nobody puts Blue in a corner."

Lance smiled as Keith pulled him away from the table and up towards the stage. The people around them gave him odd looks but he ignored them.

"Come on," Keith said as he led Lance onto the stage. The singing faded away as the people onstage looked around in confusion.

Keith stepped up to the center of the stage and spoke into the microphone. "Sorry about the disruption, folks, but I always do the last dance of the season. This year somebody told me not to." He looked down at Lotor, satisfied to see the bruises still evident on his face.

"So I'm gonna do my kind of dancing with a great partner who's not only a great dancer but somebody who's taught me that there are people willing to stand up for other people no matter what it costs them." He looked at Lance and smiled softly. "Somebody who's taught me about the kind of person I want to be."

He pulled Lance forward. "Lance McClain."

The rest of the people began to shuffle offstage as the lights dimmed. Keith strode over to the wings and had a quick whispered conversation with Shiro, who pulled the current record off the record player and put on a different one. Keith pulled off his jacket and tossed it to Shiro as the music started.

Lance nervously watched Keith walk back to him as the music started and a spotlight turned on and focused on him. He felt exposed under the bright light, but he knew he'd be fine as long as Keith was there beside him.

_Now I've had the time of my life_

Keith pulled Lance towards him

_No I never felt like this before_

Keith grasped Lance's hands and dipped him down. The crowd murmured faintly.

_Yes I swear it's the truth and I owe it all to you_

Keith pulled Lance so that his back was to his chest and raised Lance's arm up above his head

_'Cause I've had the time of my life and I owe it all to you_

Keith spun Lance out into a twirl and the crowd cheered approvingly.

They danced through the next few verses, doing the steps they'd spent so much time practicing for their earlier performance. It was perfect. Their movements flowed into each other and as the dance continued the crowd warmed up to them. The few jeers and slurs they heard were quickly shushed.

 

_Now with passion in our eyes There's no way we could disguise it secretly_

Keith spun Lance out into another twirl and followed suit, their twirls flowing into each other flawlessly.

_So we take each other's hand 'Cause we seem to understand the urgency_

Lance caught a glimpse of Sofia's beaming face as Keith spun him around once more and grinned at his dance partner.

_Just remember You're the one thing I can't get enough of. So I'll tell you something This could be love because_

They stopped, faces so close they were almost touching, and the crowd murmured excitedly.

_I've had the time of my life. No I never felt this way before_

Lance spun out again only to come back against Keith, throwing his head back as he laughed.

_Yes I swear it's the truth and I owe it all to you_

Keith pulled Lance close and swayed his hips like that had that first time they'd danced together. He heard Allura cheering loudly from the audience and laughed.

_'Cause I had the time of my life. And I've searched through every open door Till I found the truth._

Keith gripped Lance's waist and lifted him up in an airborne spin. The crowd cheered.

_And I owe it all to you_

Keith took Lance's hand in his own and brought it to his lips before taking a running leap off the stage. He looked back at Lance with a grin and began dancing down the aisle between the seats.

_With my body and soul I want you more than you'll ever know. So we'll just let it go Don't be afraid to lose control. Yes I know what's on your mind When you say: "Stay with me tonight."_

Keith reached the rest of the entertainment staff standing in the back and began dancing back towards Lance as they followed behind him.

_And remember You're the one thing I can't get enough of So I'll tell you something_

Keith came to a stop and smiled up at Lance. Lance grinned back in silent understanding, nodding.

_This could be love because_

Lance jumped offstage and ran to Keith, leaping up as he reached him. Keith gripped Lance's waist firmly and lifted him into the air perfectly. The crowd cheered uproariously.

_Now I've had the time of my life No I never felt this way before_

Keith lowered Lance back down to the ground and hugged him tightly. They'd done it!

_Yes I swear it's the truth and I owe it all to you_

Lance looked over to where his family sat and was glad to see his mother and Sofia smiling. He couldn't read his father's expression, but it didn't look like anger, so that was a start at least.

_'Cause I had the time of my life and I've searched through every open door. Till I've found the truth and I owe it all to you_

Keith kept dancing and Lance allowed himself to forget his father once again and get caught up in the joy of the moment. It felt like they were the only two people in the world even as more and more guests stood up to join the dancing.

Keith pulled Lance towards the exit, smiling at him, then halted suddenly when he saw Lance's father standing in the doorway. Lance squeezed Keith's hand tighter but did not let go, facing his father's gaze head on.

"I'm... sorry," his father said. Lance blinked in surprise and his father looked down at their linked hands, clearly still uncomfortable with the display of affection but making an effort not to say anything. "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did." He looked up at Keith. "If he makes you happy, then I have no right to object."

Lance watched his father's face uncertainly, waiting for him to change his mind and contradict what he'd just said.

Lance's father sighed, ashamed that he was the source of his son's trepidation. "You looked wonderful out there," he added.

Lance felt a smile spread slowly across his face and he stepped forward to hug his father. "Thank you."

**Author's Note:**

> If the plot and dialogue seemed almost exactly the same, that's bc they were. I p much just inserted Voltron into Dirty Dancing and moved some stuff around so it still worked.
> 
> lmao Allura's subplot got completely cut out and Lotor's subplot w Sophia was just barely in there. Don't worry, Pidge played a fuckton of pranks on him and ruined his summer.


End file.
